Archive | Kiddo #3

Hey y’all, thanks for stopping by! I thought I would share on Fridays what I’m loving, hope you enjoy. Up this week: SNS nails, monogram necklaces, happy helpers, hand towels, and a meal that reminds my husband of his childhood. How’s THAT for random?!

My nails!

I did gel nails for a couple of years, but didn’t like how they made my nails peeled. Back in the spring my manicurist told me about a new thing called SNS which goes on your nail like a powder. She’ll swipe your nail with clear polish-like stuff and then dips your finger into the powder. She’ll repeat the process several times and voila!, your nails are finished–no need to let them dry or sit under the UV light. The polish lasts a solid three weeks, but usually I’m good for a month.

I will say this, you don’t need to leave them on for five months like I did though! After five rounds my nails got very thin {I think it was also the electric file they use each time} and I had the polish taken off back in September and just now are my nails healthy enough to try it again. I’ve been on Nature’s Bounty Hair Skin and Nails gummies {two of them at bedtime} for four months and can tell a HUGE difference in the quality of my nails…and my hair too, it’s growing like crazy!

Anyway, this is the polish I’m rocking right now.

This is color 161: ‘Sweet Dreams’ {note: my nail place calls this number 223 (they have all the color choices painted on these faux nails with numbers that are attached on a big clip–I know you know what I’m talking about) so if you like this one you might want to remember the name instead of the number or you might get neon green with fuschia sparkles. 😉

My new necklace!

Santa brought it to me {I was on the ‘nice list’ this year it seems!}. I like how detailed the monogram {click the link to see just how intricate it–my pic doesn’t do it justice!} is and I like the longer chain length. I chose to get a 2″ pendant size and an 18″ chain length. It’s from Lina’s Jewelry on Etsy.

This laundry helper!

We go through so much laundry (#bigfamilyprobs) and only have an apartment-sized washer and dryer because it’s the only thing that would fit in our old house make-do laundry room–it’s so bad that C. even suggested {like REALLY meant it} that we put a full-size dryer on the back porch and then just cover it with a tarp when we’re not using it. Uhm, no. I’m sorry. I just can’t.

But at least I have this little fella to help {can you call this help? maybe entertain is a better word} me.

New Towels!

We have been using the same tired {and pulled and stained} Pottery Barn hand towels for, gosh, nine years? When I look back I even see them in pictures on this blog from 2008, ha! So it was definitely time for new ones and y’all, I’m in love. I just happened upon these Taupe Christina Hand Towels at Cost Plus World Market a few weeks ago and they are the bees’ knees. Not only are they getting softer and softer the more I wash them, but the color is perfect for hiding stains. And I love how they have this great vintage chenille look.

You know how we all have recipes that bring us back to childhood, that remind us of our mamas? Mine is poppyseed chicken and vegetable casserole. When I think of my Mamaw it’s fried roast beef or her biscuits. {wow, just realized how “southern” all four of those dishes are–bet you can guess where I grew up} When C. thinks of his childhood he remembers chicken wrapped in dried beef, meatloaf, and chicken divan. So whenever I’m feeling nice {meaning once a year or so–I kid! I kid!} I make him one of his favorites, my version that is. 😉

And this is my take on his mom’s chicken divan (which I’ve never had so I’m totally going by what he tells me it tasted like) that I made on Monday night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the broccoli into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with a cooking spray, either an 11×7 dish or 2 (9″) disposable aluminum foil pans. Add the shredded chicken.
In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Mix well with a spatula. Place on top of the broccoli. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top. I usually throw some more cheddar cheese on top ’cause can it ever really be too cheesy?
Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes. Serve on top of jasmine rice. *Note: this makes a lot. Usually I’ll either cut everything in half OR I’ll make one and give one away*

*Oh, and I’m trying to figure out a way to make these recipes more user friendly and printable. Stay tuned!*

And that’s a wrap for this week, folks! I’d love to have you join Old Southern House’s Facebook and Instagram pages–in less than a week there are over 300 followers on FB and over 200 followers on IG and I am thrilled–the more, the merrier! I’ve also added a Bloglovin’ icon in the sidebar to the right if you would like to follow me on there. Hope you all have a great weekend–we’re in Houston right now visiting a certain little fella’s birth mama and siblings!–and I’ll see you back here on Monday.

Just took a little break. Because 2.5 years is really not that long of a span between posts, right? I mean, in the whole context of time from the world’s point of view.

Right.

And nothing has changed, can you believe it?

April Fools (in January)!

Biggest change? Oh, I don’t know–maybe this little guy? Meet Lawson.

He’s a surprise {I say it like he’s a current surprise because he truly is–everyday I’m still surprised he’s here!}. …and yeah, in case you were wondering (because I totally would be too) I grew him in my wonky infertile body {maybe I’m not so infertile anymore?? HA!!}. He was born in August 2015. (For those that have been around from the beginning: his pregnancy was so different than MM. Yeah, I still had PreE {we discovered I had the hereditary kind}, but because I was 40 pounds lighter starting out and very active, I never had to go on bedrest. He did arrive at 37weeks5days just like his big sis, but only weighed 6lbs, 7ozs (she weighed 8 at that point). I even breastfed this little guy!)

Then there’s me. Or what’s left of me. 95 pounds down and reached “goal” (and yessss, I could lose more, but for now I’m just enjoying the whole “I’m at goal” thing I’ve got going on). I actually have three items in my closet that are a size 6–I started this journey at a 20W. Still blows my mind.

{MM & I headed to the Nutcracker at the Fox right before Christmas. She’s rocking my Christmas dress from 1989.}

As for the original two kids, they are no longer 5 and 2. Oh no sir, they are almost 8 {on Sunday} and 5 {next month}. Can you even believe it? Where are my itty bitty babies?

I’m still keeping C. around. 😉 Our 12th anniversary will be in four months {a dozen years, do what?!}. He started a new job last year and travels a ton during the week. We’ve started traveling some together as well. We’ve gone to New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas…without children {cue the hallelujah chorus}. Sometime this year we’re going to either the Pacific Northwest or Maine–we’re trying to narrow it down.

Us on the way to celebrate our 13th second first date anniversary.

We still have our old house. We’re gearing up for Renovation 2.0 in the next couple of years {most likely summer 2018}. Adding 1.5 baths, redoing a bath, adding a closet, redoing a mudroom {and actually getting a washer + dryer that is NOT apartment-size, ohhhhh yeah!}, redoing our current kitchen into a butlers pantry and making our current sleeping porch into a kitchen. And then everyone switching around bedrooms {we’ll move downstairs and MM will go into the boys’ old nursery since we’re adding a bath in there}. It’s fun dreaming about it, but it doesn’t seem real yet, you know? I’m sure when I’m writing the checks it’ll become real, real quick.

And that’s about it for the updates, I guess.

I turned 36 last month. I feel it too.

Oh. Except I now drive a minivan. So there’s that. At least I put a sticker on the back window that says “I used to be cool, I swear” so that makes it totally cool, right? …right?